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Subjective binge eating with compensatory behaviors: A variant presentation of bulimia nervosa
Author(s) -
Watson Hunna J.,
Fursland Anthea,
Bulik Cynthia M.,
Nathan Paula
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.22052
Subject(s) - bulimia nervosa , binge eating , psychology , anorexia nervosa , comorbidity , eating disorders , psychiatry , anxiety , depression (economics) , impulsivity , binge eating disorder , disordered eating , clinical psychology , economics , macroeconomics
Objectives: To determine whether a variant bulimic‐type presentation, whereby one meets criteria for bulimia nervosa (BN) except that binge eating episodes are not objectively large (i.e., “subjective bulimia nervosa,” SBN), has comparable clinical severity to established eating disorders, particularly BN. Method: Treatment‐seeking adults with BN ( N = 112), SBN ( N = 28), anorexia nervosa restricting type (AN‐R) ( N = 45), and AN‐binge/purge type (AN‐B/P) ( N = 24) were compared. Results: Overall, SBN could not be meaningfully distinguished from BN. SBN and BN had equivalent eating pathology, depression and anxiety symptoms, low quality of life, impulsivity, Axis I comorbidity, and lifetime psychiatric history, and comparable clinical severity to AN‐R and AN‐B/P. Discussion: Individuals with SBN, differing from BN only by the smaller size of their binge eating episodes, had a form of eating disorder comparable in clinical severity to threshold AN and BN and warranting clinical attention. Health professionals and the community require greater awareness of this variant to optimize detection, treatment‐seeking, and outcomes. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2013)